NASA Now Says Ceres Has Lots and Lots of Lights

Will NASA ever settle on one explanation for what the lights on Ceres really are? First it was caught by surprise as the Dawn spacecraft approached the dwarf planet between Jupiter and Mars and spotted two bright lights on its surface. Next NASA admitted it had no idea what the two lights were. As Dawn got closer, it said the changing colors of the spots indicated they might be ice but it still wasn’t sure. It even set up an online poll asking us what we think the spots are. (“Other” is the leading choice as of this writing).

Now Dawn is in orbit around Ceres and NASA has finished analyzing a new set of images from the surface. So what does it say the two lights are now? A lot of little lights! Not only that, there’s lights all over the place on Ceres. So does NASA finally have a definitive statement on what they are?

 A montage of the lights on Ceres from different angles as Dawn orbits the dwarf planet

 

Maybe, says Christopher Russell, principal investigator for the Dawn mission. 

Dawn scientists can now conclude that the intense brightness of these spots is due to the reflection of sunlight by highly reflective material on the surface, possibly ice.

 

If your family was feuding about what the lights were, “Ice” was the number 2 answer in the NASA online poll.

If you were waiting for a count on how many lights there are on the surface of Ceres, the number 1 answer is “lots,” according to NASA.

The brightest spots within a crater in the northern hemisphere are revealed to be composed of many smaller spots

Hey, Mr. Russell, what are NASA scientists doing to figure out what all those lights on Ceres are?

So we sit and wait for the higher-resolution data to appear, and we sharpen our pencils to make calculations on the rate of water vapor creation from the possible ice rinks on Ceres.

http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/05/nasa-now-says-ceres-has-lots-and-lots-of-lights

The Importance of Sadness

Sadness isn't necessarily something to be avoided. In Face Susan Piver says despair can be the consequence of fighting it. Compassion is what happens when you don't.

What if I told you that the way to change the world was not to be bold, resolute, brilliant, or even compassionate? What if I told you that the way to change the world was to be sad?
It sounds so improbable. When we think of those who have taught us the most about meaningful change, we think of people who are very, very brave, say, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, the Dalai Lama. Unwavering. Deep. Devoted to others and willing to die for what they believe, quite literally.

How do you get to be such a person?

Well, I have no idea, but I would put money on the idea that the ground, path, and fruition of their lives is sadness.

When you look out at this world, what you see will make you very, very sad. This is good. You are seeing clearly. Genuine sadness gives rise, spontaneously, naturally, completely, to the wish—no, the longing—to be of benefit to others. When your wish to help is rooted in love (i.e. sadness), it is effective. There is no question.

But because it is so uncomfortable, we immediately want to turn sadness into what we imagine will hurt less: anger, hopelessness, helplessness. When the wish to help is rooted in anger, it will only create more confusion. And of course, when we feel hopeless or helpless, we take refuge in non-action, which also creates confusion.

Meditation teaches you to relax with the discomfort of sadness and stay with it, not turn it into something else. At this point, you can lay claim to your brand of helpful activity (whether it takes the form of activism, leadership, charitable work, making art, prayer, and/or simple, basic kindness to all).

Despair is what happens when you fight sadness. Compassion is what happens when you don’t. It will not feel “good,” it will feel alive and this aliveness is the path to bliss.* So the key, and this is a big one, is to learn to stabilize your heart in the open state. The practice of meditation is this stabilization. It is so much more than a self-improvement technique, as I’ve said 100 zillion times. It is a path to peace. It is a path to love, not the sappy-silly kind, but the real deal.

You have a soft spot. Contrary to popular belief, it is not where you are weak, it is the gateway to indestructible power and that is what The Open Heart Project is all about. Please take on your meditation practice for the benefit of all. My purpose in life is to help you do this, so don’t hesitate to ask questions, report your experiences, express doubt, and offer encouragement to others.


If you open your heart, you can change the world.

Thanking you in advance, on behalf of all beings.

*I once heard from a student of Tibetan meditation master Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche that when asked what bliss felt like, said, “To you, it would probably feel like pain.” So there’s a little clue, something to think about for this and all our other lifetimes. But I digress.

Susan Piver is the New York Times bestselling author of The Hard Questions,  the award-winning How Not to Be Afraid of Your Own Life, and The Wisdom of a Broken Heart. 

The Art of Pain: Why the Dark Times Make Life Beautiful

By Melissa Wandrie

“In each of us lie good and bad, light and dark, art and pain, choice and regret, cruelty and sacrifice… No one can live in the light all the time.” ~Libba Bray

Happiness, and the quest for it, is not all it’s cracked up to be. What I mean is that I think we’re making a mistake in reaching only for happiness, lightness, good days, and good moods.
I think that we’re restricting ourselves.

We’re fishing in an ocean of emotions, looking to only reel in one or two kinds, throwing back the ones we don’t want without even noticing how shockingly beautiful they can be in their strange, confusing way, much like the fascinatingly mysterious fish of the deep sea.

There was a long time in my life when I wanted happiness, so I avoided pain. I wanted to call myself brave, so I didn’t admit I was afraid.

In my search for joy, I pushed away the other emotions I didn’t like, thinking I’d be left with only happiness.

But something was still wrong. I wasn’t full. By denying myself the plethora of emotions and feelings we, as human beings, are supposed to experience, I was only connecting with myself on a surface level.

I spent many of my days trying to achieve a persistent state of peace and happiness, and I wasn’t being honest with myself.

How could I just be happy when my heart was broken in two? When my own dad wouldn’t talk to me anymore? When I was uncertain and afraid of the future and the path I decided to take.

Yet all I wanted was happiness, and I kept pushing away anything else I felt that wasn’t “good.”
It took me a while to realize that I didn’t feel like myself anymore. And that was because I wasn’t. I was pretending to be a flat placard of peace and joy, which isn’t very real, is it?

I realized I was robbing my soul of all the emotions and feelings and desires it should have.
Every feeling and all the changes we go through become precious when we realize they are all necessary, and they create contrasting beauty in our lives.

Would you rather be happy, or would you rather be full inside?

Happiness is fleeting. It flits in and out of our days like a bird, singing a beautiful song that we want to revel in all our life, for one moment while the sky is blue, not to be found on the days with dark clouds on the horizon, heavy winds, and gray skies.

But fullness—that is deep in our soul. When we have that, it never leaves. Fullness encompasses everything. It’s what allows us to be fully human in all the raw, real ways.

We need the contrasts that fullness, not just happiness, provides us. How else can we know true joy if we have never known sorrow? How can we feel and trust the deepest kind of love if we have never felt heartbreak?

In art, this is called chiaroscuro. It’s the play of light and dark within a picture, the idea that you need dark shading on one side in order to notice where the light is supposed to hit on the other.
I believe that art reflects life.
I think that by suppressing emotions we don’t like, such as fear and uncertainty and pain, we are taking away the shading of our own image. We’re denying ourselves the beautiful picture that needs the contrasts and shadows in order to be complete.

Sometimes, two seemingly conflicting emotions can fit together and coexist. Have you ever felt that? Maybe you have pain inside you that you suppressed, and suddenly another person finds a way to gently bring it to the surface.

That person and their kind eyes bring warmth to your heart, even while the pain is being laid bare.
Happiness can fill your chest and sadness can well in your eyes until they are entwined in a beautifully poignant harmony. This is chiaroscuro in its most desired form—the shadow contrasting with the brilliant light, creating a depth and fullness that couldn’t be reached any other way.

Don’t ever think that being so paralyzed by fear you don’t know how to take a step, or feeling angry and betrayed, or sobbing while your heart is in shreds, or feeling lonely or confused or uncertain or whatever you feel, is wrong or not good.

It’s your shading, your shadows, making up the complete, beautifully exquisite image of your soul and your life.

Couple on the beach painting via Shutterstock
 

Tesla Was Right: Scientists Wirelessly Transmit Electricity Through The Air

Scientists in Japan have successfully transmitted electric energy wirelessly through the air, proving that Nikola Tesla was onto something big.


For years debates have raged about whether or not power could be transferred through the air, and while there have been many reports of this being achieved on a small scale, there has never been a major mainstream study into the phenomenon, until now.

Scientists with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency used microwaves to deliver electricity to a specific target 55 meters away.

“This was the first time anyone has managed to send a high output of nearly two kilowatts of electric power via microwaves to a small target, using a delicate directivity control device,” a spokesman for the agency told AFP on Thursday.

“SSPS consists of a space-based power generation/transmission facility that gathers sunlight, converts it into microwaves or laser beams, and transmits those to the ground; and a power receiving facility on the ground,” explained researcher Yasuyuki Fukumuro.

“There are many technological challenges to solve before SSPS can be implemented. When transmitting power by microwaves, a significant technological challenge is how to control the direction, and transmit it with pinpoint accuracy from a geostationary orbit to a receiving site on the ground,” he added.

The SSPS project will initially be geared towards space applications, to power space stations, shuttles, and equipment, but will eventually be used for practical purposes on Earth as well.

http://peacefulwarriors.net/tesla-was-right-scientists-wirelessly-transmit-electricity-through-the-air/

Teaching Children Meditation and Mindfulness

In today's high-tech, fast-paced world, it's pretty easy to become over-stimulated. Busy schedules directing us to go, go, go and electronic devices constantly in our hands, sucking us into scattered digital directions make inner-peace a fleeting want. Enter tension and fatigue. This is true for us, as adults, so imagine children as they absorb the energy of their parents and of the environment which they live in. Then, we send them off to school, where they are expected to concentrate and focus. We all love our children and want the very best for them, so why not consider a tool that can help them become more mindful and better able to cope with all that is tossed into their world?

Meditation (or mindfulness practice) is a beautiful way to stay grounded. It teaches us to be in the present moment so that we can savor the good times while better managing the trying ones. It helps us to stay connected with our true essence, building our sense of self-love and worth. Studies have linked mindfulness to better concentration, increased focus, and boosts of memory.

As an adult, to be able to accomplish all of the above is a pretty remarkable feat. Imagine learning these tools as a young child and then being able to use them your entire life! What if an entire generation of children were blessed with this gift? While mindfulness is catching on and currently being taught in a handful of schools across the country, it is largely up to the parents to teach this powerful tool.

These tips that I'm about to share are my own experience as a parent and what has worked in our family and they are geared towards younger children, but much of it can apply to older kids as well. (If you are an adult looking to learn more about mediation, you may want to check out this blog.)
Introducing Mindufulness Meditation to Young Children

1. Lead by example. As a parent, it is most important to first develop your own meditation practice and then show your children the way. They will naturally become curious as they so often want to emulate the behaviors they see in their parents and others whom they look up to. My five year old daughter has grown up her whole life witnessing meditation and I even have many fond memories of her as a toddler coming out of bed in the morning and plopping herself down on my lap while I was in the midst of meditating! Once there is a genuine and natural interest, you can begin to help guide them into a better understanding and foster the growth of their own practice.
   
2. Make it relatable, on a child's level. There is a wonderful book about meditation called "Peaceful Piggy" that I've read with my daughter many times and would highly recommend. The story-telling approach is a wonderful way to connect with young kids. Above that, they suggest a really simple do-it-at-home experiment to demonstrate what meditation is all about. It says to take a jar and fill the bottom with a bit of sand. Then, cover with water. Shake the jar so that all the grains of sand begin swirling all around. Tell your child that each of those grains of sands represents a thought. It could be a happy thought, a sad thought, an angry thought. But, the grains swirling around represent all of the thoughts buzzing around our heads throughout the day. Next put the jar down and allow the sand to settle. See how the sand "thoughts" become calmer and the water becomes clearer? The thoughts are still there, but they are no longer all "crazy." Peace and stillness have taken over. Explain to your child that this symbolizes the effect of meditation on the brain.
3. Encourage discussion of their own feelings and emotions. Ask them for examples of different experiences: when something made them really happy, or really sad, a time they felt upset or their feelings were hurt, a time they felt scared. Give a few of your own examples to show them that we all feel this same array of emotions on a regular basis. Even young children, who seem to have such simple lives, still have a lot to sort through and deal with. They may share some emotions such as: happy on a fun family adventure, upset when mommy or daddy wouldn't let them do what they wanted, sad when a family member or pet became ill, or feeling hurt when a friend in school said something mean. For children that are a bit older, the standardized testing system seems to be a source of worry. Meditation can help settle the overwhelming feelings and bring them to a calmer place in their thoughts. Being able to get outside of the whirlwind to just observe instead of being engulfed is truly a powerful gift.
4. Realistic Expectations. It's important to cover that there is no way to do this right or "wrong." Like exercising, results become more apparent with repetition. Frequency is key to really seeing benefits over time. That being said, this should be an enjoyable experience for them and not feel like a chore or something they are being forced to do. Encourage their interest, efforts, and willingness. If you are into reward systems, this could be a good time to implement some small ones. "Let's practice a few minutes of meditation and then we can play a little game" or "have a little treat." This type of system is very encouraging for young children.
5. Make it special! Designate a specific area for them in the house that will be their meditation spot. Make it welcoming with their own pillow or special pillowcase. Encourage them to bring a few trinkets that have special meaning to them: perhaps a family photo, their favorite artwork, a remnant of the earth such as gemstone or even a plant.
6. Using a Timer. It's great to have a goal time, but start small. Depending on the age, 3-5 minutes can be a reasonable beginner goal. A timer is nice because it is finite and they know to expect an end time. There are many great meditation apps that you can download for your smartphone. I like ones that use singing bowl sounds for start and finish. Let your child start the timer and put it somewhere they can see it. Encourage them to not worry about the time. Instead, just relax and know their meditation is over once they hear the singing bowl ring again.
7. Guidance. Sitting down in lotus posture with eyes closed is not a must (although that is
   perfectly fine). Like I said, there is no right or wrong way. The point is to get them into a practice of settling their minds and become more mindful. Keeping the eyes closed allows for deeper relaxation, so would be suggested. Naturally, they will want to peek -- this is okay! Lying down while meditating presents an opportunity to become a little too relaxed and possibly even fall asleep, so some sort of sitting position is best. Small children will be fidgety. Just encourage them to try their best to sit still with eyes closed until the timer goes off. Most important is focus on breathe. Breathing is something we always take with us, so this can literally be practiced anywhere. Have them simply notice their breathing as their chest rises and falls. Then, start to encourage long, deep, slow breaths where their belly rises up on the inhale and contracts to small again as the exhale it all out.
   
(A fun visual: "Blowing out the Candle." Have them clasp their hands together and raise their two index fingers, holding them in front of their mouth. Inhale slowly and deeply. On the slow exhale, have them imagine blowing out a birthday candle. Blowing out a candle is something all children can relate to and it's pretty fun too! When my daughter is having a tough time with something, I can simply tell her "breathe, blow out your candle" and she knows exactly what to do to calm down.)

8. Let it be. Sitting still may not comes naturally at first. It is okay for minds to wander. It is okay to fidgety. As a matter of fact, expect it. Just encourage them to try their best to relax and refocus them back to focusing on their breath as often as needed. Know that over time and with regular practice, they will be able to sit still longer and they will begin to experience many of the other wonderful benefits of meditation and mindfulness. Don't push it, but gently encourage them to practice regularly.

Our children are the future and we have infinite love for them. What a beautiful gift to give them and to the world by teaching them to meditate. Namaste.

(For more by Dawn Gluskin visit www.dawnsense.com and join her inspiring Facebook community)
Follow Dawn Gluskin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/dawngluskin
http://photo.minghui.org/selected-En/practice/235624149331.htm 

Tesla Battery Heralds the Begginning of the End For Fossil Fuels

Although wind, as well as solar power have made incredible advances recently, with renweable sources now accounting for 22% of electric energy generated, brevity remains to be the main concern holding them back. "How can we use solar energy at night if the sun doesn't shine? How can we use wind power if the wind doesn't blow year-round?" Those opposed to the progress of renewable sources of energy often ask these exact questions.

Now the renewable energy billionaire Elon Musk has completely blown away that last remaining defense.  Last Thursday in California he introduced the world to his streamlined revolutionary Powerwall – a wall-mounted energy storage device which is capable of holding 10 kilowatt hours of electric energy, and even deliver it at an average of 2 kilowatts, for approximately US$3,500.

That results in having an electricity cost (taking into consideration installation expenses and inverters) of around US$500 per kWh – lower than 50% current electricity costs, as approximated by Deutsche Bank.

That translates into produced energy at around 6 cents per kWh for the householder, which means that a residential system along with storage would likely still come up ahead of coal-fired energy delivered by means of the conventional grid.

Additionally, Musk will be manufacturing the batteries in the United States, at the “gigafactory” he is constructing just over the border from California in Nevada.

He's not waiting on some kind of groundbreaking new technology, but is scaling up the surefire lithium-ion battery that he is presently working with on his electric vehicles.

Not Only For Homes

That being said, the fossil fuel corporations – from fuel supplier distributors like coal miners, to coal-burning electric power utilities – will undoubtedly be on the defensive, combating the new standard of more affordable renewable supplies and reserve.

Rather than wondering “Can we have our own energy system?” people are going to be wanting to know “Why can’t we have it?”

The Tesla Energy program unveiled last week is comprehensive, with worldwide ramifications. The Powerwall system which offers 10 kWh is aimed at domestic consumers. It is complemented by an industrial system referred to as the Powerpack providing 100 kWh storage, along with a stack of 100 such units to form a 10 megawatt hour storage unit, which can be used at the range of small electricity grids.

Entire communities could possibly create micro-grid power supply systems around this kind of a 10 MWh energy storage system, fed by renewable power generation (wind power or rooftop solar power), at prices that clearly have become very competitive.

Last week at his launch, Musk maintained that the complete electric power grid of the United States could very well be replicated with only 160 million of these utility-scale energy storage units. Moreover, two billion of the utility-scale models would be able to provide storage of 20 trillion kWh – electric power for the world.

(Above: Elon Musk reveals a Tesla Energy battery for businesses and utility companies)                                                               

The Revolution Begins
It truly is revealing to understand these statistics in context. There are around 2 billion cars, trucks and commercial vehicles on the world’s roadways, in addition to almost 100 million new vehicles which are being added annually.

If it’s possible to create these exhaust-pumping complicated machines, it’s surely possible to create the storage units which can help make those machines unnecessary. Furthermore, Elon Musk has just affirmed that he plans to do just that.

Musk is a Henry Ford-style innovator who takes others’ advancements then scales them up, taking the spectacular entrepreneurial leaps that other individuals are only capable of dreaming about. Suddenly the realm of renewable energy has become the new standard – due to the fact that when coupled with cost-efficient storage it becomes unbeatable.

Musk most definitely is not without help. Already China appears is gearing up to be the world’s renewable energy superpower, with the most extensive applied base of wind power, and undoubtedly the world’s largest production operation for wind turbines and solar photovoltaic cells. Presumably by this year China will have the world’s largest established base of solar photovoltaic ( PV ) power.

There are currently Chinese businesses and organizations, such as BYD, generating their own energy storage units based on lithium ion technology for both residential as well as industrial application – while significantly less streamlined nor as affordable as the new Tesla contribution.

However, allow them to have time and they will likely be manufacturing at a relative scale and cost, or possibly enhancing it. This really is capitalist competition – and its propagation is what specifically has made Tesla’s announcement the commencement of the genuine renewables movement.

(A charging spot is seen at the stage of Chinese automaker BYD during the opening day of the Shanghai Auto Show April 19, 2011)

No Going Back

Have you considered Australia and the distressing circumstances where the Abbott government realizes nothing beyond coal exports, and therefore does everything possible to prohibit the conversion to renewables? Tesla’s announcement has just moved the earth beneath their feet.

No longer may someone in Australia argue that renewables would be “nice” if only they had storage. Presently, they do.

A wise government in Australia would definitely be seeking to ride this wave and advocate Australian renewable solutions as a method of obtaining prosperity for the country in a post-fossil fuel age.

Then we could proceed beyond the futile debates in Australia over whether to have a carbon tax or not, and shift to the more immediate and sensible subject of advocating renewable industry and technology.

China has supplied the planet with a major lesson in the business-like means it went about creating and endorsing its renewable power enterprises, importing scientific knowledge from around the globe (including enhancing it too) not to mention scaling up output in order to decrease costs.

Now Musk with his Tesla Energy has just taken that progression one fundamental step further, to incorporate storage together with renewable power generation. There is no going back from here.

Photo Source

Meditation Isn't Enough: A Buddhist Perspective on Suicide

The news of Robin Williams' passing is shocking and touching so many of us. I was waiting for a friend at a bar when I first heard. All around me people erupted in a variety of emotional reactions as the word quickly spread. In the time since, a common reaction has been deep sadness, often paired with a sentiment of "I never thought someone like him would kill themselves."

What we mean when we say "I never thought someone like him..." is that we can't wrap our minds around certain people whom we deem successful or joyful or wise suffering from the same sorts to the demons that we ourselves face. Studies have shown that one in ten people in the United States are afflicted with depression. Robin Williams is said to be one of these people. In response to the news of Williams' death his friend Harvey Fierstein wrote, "Please, people, do not f-- with depression. It's merciless. All it wants is to get you in a room alone and kill you. Take care of yourself."

Yet for anyone who has suffered from depression or had suicidal thoughts, you know that self-care is the last thing you want to do when you feel that down. I teach meditation, and write books about how it effects our everyday life. That is the form of self-care that I preach. The sort of people who want to learn about meditation aren't the "All is well and good in my world" type. They are people who have come to terms with the fact that they suffer. They are people finally looking at big transitions in their life, strong emotional states, and feelings of stress, anxiety, and depression. So you would think that having taught meditation for thirteen years and worked with these people I would be a pro at this whole "take care of yourself" thing.

I have never publicly admitted this, but given the stigma around mental health issues and suicide I feel that I need to now: two years ago I was suicidal. I had written a best-selling Buddhist book and had begun working on the second one when the rug was pulled out from under me in a multitude of ways. My fiancé left me, quite out of the blue, without any recognizable reason. That set me down a self-destructive road which was only heightened when, a month later, due to budget cut-backs, my full-time job was eliminated. The straw that broke the camel's back came a few weeks after that; one of my best friends died of heart failure at the age of 29. I felt estranged from my family, and two major support structures, my fiancé and my friend were now gone, so I began to self-medicate in a destructive way. I knew better, but the vastness of my depression consumed any thoughts around self-care and regular meditation.

I cannot explain how fathomless my sadness was during that period. I had a roof I would go up to every single day and contemplate jumping. I convinced myself that my first book was out there helping people, so maybe I should finish the second one. I sat down and wrote the second half of that book, which oddly enough comes out next month. It gave me purpose, and during that short period of time friends started to catch on something was wrong with me.

I remember a day when I was particularly low. My friend Laura asked me to dinner but I could not stand to be in a restaurant, surrounded by people who seemed normal. We sat in a nearby park as it got dark, with homeless people urinating nearby and the rats slowly coming out to play. She was very patient with me, as I was not interested in leaving. Finally she asked the question, "Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?" I broke down in tears and within the week was guided by her and others into therapy. A week later I returned to the meditation cushion. A week after that I began eating regularly. A week after that I finally got a full night's sleep.
I mention my story because there's not just a social stigma around mental health issues, there's also a Buddhist one. I have seen some Buddhist teachers make remarks about depression as a form of suffering; that one should be able to meditate and have everything be okay, in lieu of prescription medication. That is not true; meditation is not a cure-all for mental illness. The Buddha never taught a discourse entitled, "Don't Help Yourself, Continue to Suffer Your Chemical Imbalance." If you have a mental illness, meditation may be helpful, but should be considered an addition to, not a substitution for, prescribed medication.

I write this article for two reasons. The first is to say that Robin Williams is a person. I am a person. And like all people, we struggle with a myriad form of suffering. And sometimes things feel like they are too much for us to handle. Just because Robin Williams was a comedian, a celebrity, or someone we viewed as a joyful person did not mean he wasn't fighting demons unknown to us. I share my story in the same vein; the fact that I struggled with suicidal thoughts does not negate my years of meditation experience or understanding of the Buddhist teachings, but shows that I am human and sway to suffering like all humans are. You can be well-practiced and still struggle like anyone else. Robin Williams ended up taking his life. I was lucky in that I was able to seek help and no longer feel the way I once did. In fact, that experience only deepened my appreciation for the practice of meditation and the Buddhist teachings. In many ways, my life has turned around.

The second reason I write this article is because my life turned around because I sought help. Buddhists can't just take everything to the meditation cushion and hope it will work out. When things get tough, as in to the point that you can't imagine getting out of bed in the morning tough, you need help. And there should be no shame in seeking it. If you even remotely feel like you are struggling with depression, or are going through an emotional time that simply feels out of control, the best way to take care of yourself is to seek guidance from trained professionals. Sure that can be a meditation teacher, but a therapist may prove more helpful at that time. Therapy in-and-of itself can be a mindfulness practice, where you bring your full attention for an hour each week to what is expressing itself in your body and your mind.

Don't feel like you have to go it alone. Meditation does not preclude or diminish the power of therapeutic methods. They are powerful in their own right. There are trained people out there who can work with you to navigate your suffering. Do not be scared to seek help.

Follow Lodro Rinzler on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lodrorinzler
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lodro-rinzler/meditation-isnt-enough-a-_b_5672580.html